The next morning, UA was now open again. Everyone was outside, waving goodbye to Bulla and Pan. "You two don't get into any trouble, alright?!" Iwase called out.
"No promises!" Pan responded with a wide smile.
"Big Sis Bulla! You do your best out there, and don't let anyone doubt you for a minute!" Sandayo called out as Pan grinned to her friend.
"You were doubting me yesterday... And what's this 'Big Sis' nonsense? You're older than I am!" Bulla growled to herself as she clenched her first.
"Wow, he's treating you much differently from yesterday! What did you two lovebirds do last night!?" Pan asked her friend mockingly.
"That is so many levels of wrong, Pan!" Bulla bit back, prompting Pan to laugh. After a few moments, Bulla joined along, and the two were laughing as their return voyage to UA began.
The two made it to their classes, and standing before the door, they looked to each other and smiled. "Don't fall behind, alright, Pan? I'm getting stronger everyday." Bulla warned her with a raised fist.
All of a sudden, Pan darted forward and wrapped her arms around her Saiyan companion. "As long as you don't get yourself into more trouble." She said, pressing Bulla's body into her own. After a moment of silence, Pan released Bulla, holding her shoulders. It was clear that she was fighting back tears. "That whole villain-attack-thing was scary. I thought that you'd be getting some good battle practice without me, you know?" She told her with a smile before turning away.
"Do your best, Pan." Bulla told her with a warm smile. "I'll see you after school." Turning to the door, Bulla opened it and walked inside, where several students engaged in idle chitchat. "Hey, everyone." She greeted. "If you haven't already, please take your seats. Iida, I'd like you to go down each row and check on each student personally while taking roll."
"Right, but isn't class about to beg-" Iida began to say before Bulla cut him off.
"It's important that we make sure everyone is sound, and confident enough to return to class. Momo and I did personal home visits yesterday, but events like what we encountered can be traumatizing, and can linger for long than a day. Mr. Aizawa will understand." Bulla explained as the door opened.
"I heard everything. And although I do have some issues with your logic, as young heroes in training shouldn't be so shaken by an onslaught of thugs, I can understand that you all only just started high school, with minimal training prior to the attack." Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, it was almost impossible to tell what expression Aizawa had underneath his wrappings. "I'll allow it, so if you will, Iida, take roll and ask everyone how their doing, quietly."
"We're all glad to see that you're recovering well, Mr. Aizawa." Bulla told him as he walked up to the podium.
"That's irrelevant. Take your seat, Brief. We have important matters to attend to." Aizawa told her. As Bulla complied, and Iida completed the first row, Aizawa began to give out his information. "The UA Sports Festival is about to begin."
With excitement filling particular students, Kirishima yelled out. "THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! LET'S GO KICK SOME ASS!"
"Wait!" Kaminari interrupted as he pressed down on Kirishima's face.
"Is it really such a good idea to hold the Sports Festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?"
"Well, apparently," Aizawa began, his voice full of exhaustion, "this is the administration way of displaying that the threat has been handled, and that our school is safer than ever. Plus, they're beefing up security compared to past years." He explained. "This event is a huge opportunity for all UA students. It's not something that we can just cancel because of a few villains."
"I'm sorry, but why?!" Mineta spoke from the back of the class. "It's just a sports festival!"
"Huh, Mineta?" Midoriya spoke. "Don't you know how important the event is?"
"Actually, I'm pretty lost on the matter, as well. What if they bring another crazy strong villain like before? Another one of those with that warping villain means nothing but trouble. And there'll be a lot of civilians as well, meaning that efforts will be split between fighting and rescuing." Bulla explained with her hand raised.
"Yeah, you see?! Our Class Rep agrees!" Mineta said, pointing towards the front of the class as Aizawa intervened.
"The UA Sports Festival is the most watched event in the entire world. In the past, people obsessed over the Olympic Games, but then Quirks began to emerge. Now the Olympics have been drastically reduced in scale and viewership. For anyone who cares about competition, there's only one tournament that matters."
"That's right," Yaoyorozu continued, "the top heroes everywhere will be watching. This is where you get scouted."
"She's right!" Kaminari followed. "After graduating, a lot of people join pro agencies as sidekicks."
"Yeah, but that's as far as some people go. They miss their chance to go indie and stay eternal sidekicks." Jiro chimed in. "That's probably where you're headed."
"It's true that joining a hero agency can garner you greater experience and popularity. That's why the festival matters. If you wanna go pro one day, then this event could open a path for you. One chance a year. Three chances in a lifetime. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this festival." Aizawa told them. "That means you better not slack off on your training."
"Yes, sir!" The class said in unison as Iida finished his check-ups.
"Class Representative, everyone seems to be in good spirits and excellent health. The only odd behavior is Bakugo, who doesn't seem to be acting as crass as he normally would. In fact, he's quite docile today, despite keeping to himself with a very angry outward appearance, however, that is to be expected of him." Iida explained as the two looked over.
"Alright, thank you, Iida. I appreciate your help." She told him as Aizawa dismissed Homeroom. With the remainder of the classes dragging on to their end, the bell finally sounded for lunch.
Several students sat around, gushing about the Sports Festival. "So this Sports Festival is a big deal, right?" Bulla asked as she and Yaoyorozu stepped outside of the classroom.
"Yeah, I'm wondering about that, too..." Pan suddenly said as she joined the duo.
"Are you serious? Have the two of you been under a rock your whole lives?" Yaoyorozu asked them.
"I guess... We're just not very sporty...hehe..." Bulla said nervously, scratching the back of her head as the three made their way to the cafeteria.
"So, you two had a date yesterday, is that right?" Pan asked them with a smile.
"You can call it that. Bulla admirably wanted to ensure the mental stability of our classmates." Yaoyorozu explained as their ears became full with the dull roar of the filled room. It wasn't hard for them to spot Iida and Uraraka, surprisingly, however, there was no sign of Midoriya.
"Hey, you two." Bulla greeted as they joined them in line.
"Oh, Yaoyorozu, Brief, Son. Hello there." Iida greeted with a soft smile as Bulla looked around.
"So, hey, where's Midoriya? Normally he and Uraraka are joined at the hip." She asked, causing Uraraka's eyes to widen.
"All Might invited him to eat lunch together." Iida explained.
"...at the hip...?" Uraraka mumbled, now seemingly lost in space.
"I remember Asui mentioning how his ability is similar to All Might's. It seems as if that similarity has caused our Symbol of Peace to catch an affinity for our Class Historian." Iida continued as Bulla put her fingers to her chin.
"Their powers are similar..." She said to herself. From what Nejire taught us, Quirks are hereditary, and can mutate. But it's impossible to pass on a Quirk to another person... Weird...
As everyone returned to class, and the day proceeded as normal, students began to settle down. That is, until the end of the day, when their exit was blocked off. A crowd of students stood their ground, not allowing for Class 1A to proceed. "What's...going on?" Bulla asked as she stepped up to the door.
"U-Um..." Uraraka joined her fellow Class Officer at the front. "Why the heck are you all here!?" She yelled as Iida and Midoriya followed.
"Do you students have some sort of business with our class?" Iida asked as Mineta joined the front.
"Why are you blocking the doorway? I won't let you hold us hostage!" Mineta called out.
"Are you all here, by chance, to see the students that took down a wave of villains?" Bulla asked the crowd. "I appreciate the flattery, but many of us barely made it out of there alive. We were just lucky that the Armored Maiden was there. Right, everybody?" Bulla turned to her class, expecting reassurance as several students began to nod. Bakugo, however, simply began to brush through the crowd, stopping short before he left the crowd's sight.
"For the record, some of these weaklings may have fought tooth and nail to survive, but some of us deserve to be here. And it shows. So just understand that none of you rejects are going to win." His final words riled the crowd of students into an angry mob before he finally left.
"Man, what am I going to do with that boy!" Bulla said to herself, pressing her hand against her head as another student emerged from the crowd.
"I just hope everyone in Class 1A isn't as pretentious as you two." A purple-haired student spoke, making himself visible. "You're really so full of yourselves that your first assumptions was that everyone was here to see you exclusively. What a bunch of egomaniacs, acting like you're celebrities."
"And who exactly are you?" Bulla asked with a scowl, crossing her arms.
"I'm the one who's going to take your spot from under you if you're not careful. If one of us from the other courses do well enough in the Sports Festival, they'll allow us to transfer into the Hero Course. Obviously, however, they'll have to make some room. So consider this a declaration of war." He explained, both informing Class 1A while giving them absolutely no necessary information at the same time.
"Hey you!" Another student yelled from the crowd, raising his head above the small lake of students. "I'm Tetsutetsu from Class 1B! I heard you fought some villains, and I wanted to see if that was true!" He yelled as Bulla pinched the top of her nose between her eyes.
"Can't I just catch a break?" She asked herself as Yaoyorozu joined her side.
"Not as the Class Rep, Bulla." She put a hand on her friend's shoulder and the two smiled, ready to tackle these students and their questions head on.
"We'll do our best, Momo. No matter what." Bulla's hand rested on Yaoyorozu's, and filled with determination, the two began to fight onward, metaphorically.